First hijab-wearing Barbie to honor US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad

NEW YORK: American group Mattel unveiled its first ever hijab-wearing Barbie doll Monday in honour of US Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, who in 2016 became the first American Olympian to wear a headscarf while competing.

The doll, part of the toymaker’s “Sheroes” collection, is dressed in fencing gear as well as the hijab.

It will be on sale online from 2018, a spokeswoman told AFP.

“We are so excited to honor @IbtihajMuhammad with a one-of-a-kind #Barbie doll! Ibtihaj continues to inspire women and girls everywhere to break boundaries,” Mattel wrote on its social media accounts, accompanied by a photo of Muhammad holding the doll.

On its website, Mattel said the new Barbie is “inspiration for countless little girls who never saw themselves represented in sports and culture,” adding it hopes the doll “shows girls they can be anything.”

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Muhammad described the doll created in her image as a “childhood dream come true.”

“Thank you @Mattel for announcing me as the newest member of the @Barbie #Shero family! I’m proud to know that little girls everywhere can now play with a Barbie who chooses to wear hijab!” she wrote on Twitter.